HISTORY
Peter James Web Design Studio has been building creative, custom websites for clients in Bellingham, Washington and across the country since 2003. Peter first studied web design in 1994 while attending college for commercial photography. This was the stone age of websites, however much of the basic HTML language he learned then is still used today as the basis for modern programming languages such as PHP, JavaScript, jQuery and MySQL.
After getting his photography degree he opened his first photo studio in Colorado Springs, CO where he learned first hand all about running a small business. After three years there, he moved to Detroit Michigan to work at a cutting edge photography studio where he participated in creating virtual reality websites for auto manufacturing giants. This kept him up to speed with both the most modern web technologies, as well as marketing strategy for medium and large businesses.
Peter left Detroit determined to find a location that would feed his need for extreme natural beauty. He landed in Bellingham, WA, bought a 40 foot boat to live on and began building his name and reputation in Bellingham as a commercial photographer and web designer.
In December 2003 he leased space in the Fine Arts Building off East Holly Street in Downtown Bellingham, while his clientele grew. In 2004 he teamed up with web programmer Patrik Hertzog, which propelled his web design department forward rapidly. Now Peter could focus on working with clients and designing websites, while Pat took care of the complex, left-brained task of programming the creative and unique websites he designed.
For many years, Flash animation was very popular, as well as the Joomla and Drupal content management systems. These web technologies eventually gave way to the rise of WordPress, JavaScript, and HTML5. Peter and Pat designed and developed many database driven websites as well, and consistently created some of the most innovative sites on the web.
In 2011, Peter was approached by an auto parts manufacturer from Everett, WA who needed a reliable web design company to build websites for their distributors. This ushered in the eCommerce era for Peter James Web Design Studio. He researched many eCommerce platforms including Shopify, Magento, Volusion, and 3Dcart, but ultimately chose Bigcommerce as the best option for small to mediums sized eCommerce companies, as well as mid-market brands. The partnership was fruitful and Bigcommerce also began referring web projects to Peter because they knew he was extremely dependable and capable.
Over the last five years, the newest web technology that Peter and his team have been excited to learn and master is responsive web design. With responsive design, they are again pushing the envelope of what a website can do and how it can reach broader audiences in more places. Once Louisa Firethorne joined the team in 2013, the beauty and precision of the site designs were taken to a whole new level, and Peter’s time was freed up to focus on site strategy and client relationships. Together, this team is ready to help you take your business or organization to it’s next level. Call today for your free consultation. (360) 733-9377